Wheel construction for silo unloader

ABSTRACT

A wheel construction for advancing a silo unloader over the surface area of silage, said wheel construction comprising a hub element adapted to be connected to a drive shaft, a plurality of spaced rigid support arms attached to and diverging outwardly from said hub element, a heavy, generally cylindrical core of cementitious material substantially encapsulating said support arms, and a plurality of cleat members removably fastened to the outer ends of said support arms for digging into the silage as the wheel construction is rotated to advance the unloader.

United States Patent [1 1 Stock [111 3,749,259 1 July 31, 1973 WHEEL CONSTRUCTION FOR SILO UNLOADER [76] lnventor: Erwlld E. Stock, Route 3,

Manitowoc, Wis. 54220 [22] Filed: Mar. 2, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 231,209

[52] U.S. Cl. 214/17 DB, 301/44 B [51] Int. Cl. B653 65/38 [58] Field of Search 214/17 DB; 301/41 W,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 2,858,033 10/1958 l-lofer 214/17 DB 3,161,304 12/1964 Smith 214/17 DB Primary ExaminerRobert G. Sheridan Attorney-Harvey B. Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT A wheel construction for advancing a silo unloader over the surface area of silage, said wheel construction comprising a hub element adapted to be connected to a drive shaft, a plurality of spaced rigid support arms attached to and diverging outwardly from said hub element, a heavy, generally cylindrical core of cementitious material substantially encapsulating said support arms, and a plurality of cleat members removably fastened to the outer ends of said support arms for digging into the silage as the wheel construction is rotated to advance the unloader.

10 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures WHEEL CONSTRUCTION FOR SILO UNLOADER The present invention is generally related to silo unloaders and, more particularly, to an improved drive wheel construction for advancing silo unloader mechanisms over the surface of silage.

In the past, various silo unloader drive wheel constructions have been provided. Many such constructions have been too light in weight to effectively dig into the surface of the silage and positively advance the unloader mechanism. Other conventional drive wheels of heavier design have been made of one-piece cast iron or steel construction, were relatively expensive to manufacture, and were susceptible to rust or corrosion. Furthermore, such one-piece constructions required frequent replacement due to wear or damage of the cleat members or blades.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel drive wheel construction which is heavy, durable, long lasting, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a unique drive wheel construction comprising a heavy cylindrical core of molded cementitious material which is substantially unaffected by rust or corrosion and which provides sufficient weight to assure positive advancement of the associated silo unloader mechanism over the silage.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a versatile drive wheel construction comprising a cementitious core which encapsulates a plurality of diverging support arms with cleat members removably fastened to their outer ends for convenient, inexpensive replacement in the event of damage or wear.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

FIG. I is a side elevation of a pair of the drive wheels of the present invention mounted to a typical drive shaft in a silo.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along section 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial exploded perspective view of the drive wheel construction of the present invention with the cementitious core removed.

Referring now, more particularly, to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a pair of drive wheels of the present invention are illustrated as being drivingly connected to a common drive shaft 12 by way of a bolt 14. As the drive shaft is rotated, the wheels dig into the surface of the silage, such as that indicated at 16 and are effective to advance a conventional silo unloader mechanism, not illustrated. Such a means of rotatably advancing silo unloader mechanisms is disclosed by U.S. Pat; No. 3,547,283 to .I. R. Beebe et a1.

As mentioned above, conventional drive wheel constructions were either too light to effectively dig into the silage or were relatively expensive to manufacture and maintain. With reference to FIG. 2, it .will be appreciated that the drive wheel construction of the present invention includes a solid, generally cylindrical core 18 formed from concrete or similar moldable, hardenable materials. A tubular hub element 20 extends through the core 18 with its axis substantially aligned with the core axis. Preferably, the hub element is made of steel, or similar materials with a plurality of diverging support arms 22 being welded thereto as indicated at 24. Each arm is provided with a pair of openings 25, through which the cement material may flow during the molding process in order to provide an overall integral rigid structurc. The support arms diverge outwardly and terminate at channel-like flange portions 26 provided with mounting apertures 28. Relatively rigid cleat members 30 are removably fastened near their central portions to the mounting flanges by way of bolts 32, or similar fastening means.

It will be appreciated that the central mounting portion of each cleat member is generally arcuate in configuration as indicated at 34. In addition, each cleat is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed blade portions 36 and 38 which extend outwardly from the central portion. Preferably, each blade portion extends in a generally radial direction with respect to the axis of rotation, such that they are effective to dig into the surface of the silage to effectively advance the associated unloader mechanism. The arcuate configuration of the central portion of 'each cleat member provides a snug overlying engagement with the underlying surfaces of the concrete core. This provides additional rigidity to the overall structure and minimizes the degree of flexing or twisting of each cleat when it engages the silage.

It should be noted that the drive wheel construction of the present invention is not limited to either one or two wheels, and than any number of wheels may be mounted to a common hub and drive shaft, as required. From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that the drive wheel construction utilizing heavy cement materials is of sufficient weight to assure positive digging of the cleats into the silage material to assure constant advancement of the associated unloader mechanism. Furthermore, the cementitious materials are relatively inexpensive, are not susceptible to rust or corrosion and may be easily molded around the associated support arms. This provides an extremely heavy duty, rugged construction capable of withstanding normal silo applications over relatively long periods of time. It will also be appreciated that the cleat members may be readily removed from the associated support arms in the event that replacement should be necessary. Thus, the same core, hub, and support arm structure may be utilized over much longer periods of time than related conventional wheel constructions.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use with a silo unloader for advancing such upon a surface of silage, a drive wheel construction comprising a rigid hub element adapted to be connected to a drive shaft, a plurality of support arms attached to and diverging outwardly from said hub element, a solid core of cementitious material molded around said hub and substantially encapsulating said support arms, and cleat members removably fastened to the outer ends of said support arms for digging into the underlying silage.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said cementitious core is generally cylindrical in configuration with curved outer surfaces adapted to roll over the silage.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 wherein the outer end of each support arm is substantially flush with said outer curved surfaces of said core.

4. The structure set forth in claim 2 wherein each of the outer ends of said support arms are provided with a mounting flange, and said construction further includes removable fastening means connecting said cleats to said mounting flanges.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4 wherein each of said cleats is provided with a mounting portion cooperating with said removable fastening means and being bent in overlapping engagement with said outer curved surfaces of said cylindrical core.

6. in combination with a silo unloader adapted to be advanced over the surface of silage by way of a rotating drive shaft, a drive wheel construction comprising a hub element drivingly connected to said drive shaft for rotation about an axis, a multiplicity of support arms connected to said hub element and diverging outwardly able, hardenable material passes.

9. The structure set forth in claim 8 wherein said core is of generally cylindrical configuration about said axis of hub rotation.

10. The structure set forth in claim 9 wherein each of said cleats includes a central mountingportion overlying the outer surfaces of said cylindrical core, and a pair of oppositely disposed blade portions extending outwardly from said mounting portion and said cylindrical core for digging into the silage.

* k k h 

1. For use with a silo unloader for advancing such upon a surface of silage, a drive wheel construction comprising a rigid hub element adapted to be connected to a drive shaft, a plurality of support arms attached to and diverging outwardly from said hub element, a solid core of cementitious material molded around said hub and substantially encapsulating said support arms, and cleat members removably fastened to the outer ends of said support arms for digging into the underlying silage.
 2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein said cementitious core is generally cylindrical in configuration with curved outer surfaces adapted to roll over the silage.
 3. The structure set forth in claim 2 wherein the outer end of each Support arm is substantially flush with said outer curved surfaces of said core.
 4. The structure set forth in claim 2 wherein each of the outer ends of said support arms are provided with a mounting flange, and said construction further includes removable fastening means connecting said cleats to said mounting flanges.
 5. The structure set forth in claim 4 wherein each of said cleats is provided with a mounting portion cooperating with said removable fastening means and being bent in overlapping engagement with said outer curved surfaces of said cylindrical core.
 6. In combination with a silo unloader adapted to be advanced over the surface of silage by way of a rotating drive shaft, a drive wheel construction comprising a hub element drivingly connected to said drive shaft for rotation about an axis, a multiplicity of support arms connected to said hub element and diverging outwardly therefrom, a heavy core of moldable, hardenable material substantially encapsulating said support arms, said support arms being provided with accessible mounting flanges at their outer ends, and a plurality of cleat members adapted to dig into the silage and being removably fastened to said mounting flanges.
 7. The structure set forth in claim 6 wherein said hub element is of hollow, tubular configuration and receives the end portion of said drive shaft.
 8. The structure set forth in claim 6 wherein said support arms include openings through which said moldable, hardenable material passes.
 9. The structure set forth in claim 8 wherein said core is of generally cylindrical configuration about said axis of hub rotation.
 10. The structure set forth in claim 9 wherein each of said cleats includes a central mounting portion overlying the outer surfaces of said cylindrical core, and a pair of oppositely disposed blade portions extending outwardly from said mounting portion and said cylindrical core for digging into the silage. 